Hi there,
Well the plugin is GPL, but it does use the Adaptive Images script internally, which is CC-BY. Are you actually sure that these two are incompatible?
You will have to ask the Plugin Administrators, I don’t know …
OKay, then, thanks for the heads-up!
Moderator
Jan Dembowski
(@jdembowski)
Forum Moderator and Brute Squad
The best way to make sure is to send an email to plugins [at] ww.wp.xz.cn and ask them.
Well the plugin is GPL, but it does use the Adaptive Images script internally, which is CC-BY. Are you actually sure that these two are incompatible?
If the libraries are included in the plugin hosted here (I haven’t looked yet) then that’s a problem because all of the code here must be GPL’ed or compatible.
Ask the plugins team about the compatible part. I’m not on the plugins team. 😉
Thank you very much @jan, I will do so!
Moderator
Jan Dembowski
(@jdembowski)
Forum Moderator and Brute Squad
Found it, it’s this line.
https://plugins.trac.ww.wp.xz.cn/browser/adaptive-images/trunk/adaptive-images/ai-main.php#L11
LEGAL : Adaptive Images by Matt Wilcox is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
That won’t work as that’s not compatible with the GPL. How about just going with your main file which has this? 😉
https://plugins.trac.ww.wp.xz.cn/browser/adaptive-images/trunk/adaptive-images.php#L25
License: GPL2
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
I have sent an email them and now I am waiting for the answer.
Also there is another interesting technical issue with this plugin. It does include the Adaptive Images library in its directories, but it actually never links to it! There are no “includes” and no “requires” from within WordPress initiated code to it. My plugin uses the Adaptive Images library with an under-the-hood .htaccess rewrite rule redirection. So, in this perspective, there is nothing to be incompatible with license-wise, because the two codes are not linked in any way. They just lie in the same filesystem and are distributed together.
Moderator
Jan Dembowski
(@jdembowski)
Forum Moderator and Brute Squad
So, in this perspective, there is nothing to be incompatible with license-wise, because the two codes are not linked in any way.
Then take out the offending library and don’t distribute it here. Easy. 😉
All code in the WordPress repo has to be GPL. Or compatible, I get that mixed up (but will get clarification so I don’t forget). If your plugin does not need that file then that’s an easy fix.
If it does need that file then update the license. Also easy.
Well, it needs that library, that is for sure. So I cannot just take it out! (Although I am thinking of just re-writing it!) But it does not link to it in the way that the GPL defines it.
What do you mean by:
If it does need that file then update the license. Also easy.
Moderator
Jan Dembowski
(@jdembowski)
Forum Moderator and Brute Squad
But it does not link to it in the way that the GPL defines it.
This really is not a GPL discussion exactly: all code distributed here in the WordPress repo must be compatible with the GPL. It appears that this part “Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License” is may not be compatible.
https://ww.wp.xz.cn/plugins/about/guidelines/
See item 1.
1. Your plugin must be compatible with the GNU General Public License v2, or any later version. We strongly recommend using the same license as WordPress — “GPLv2 or later.”
Note: This rule applies to everything in the plugin. This includes code, data, and images, even if you did not create that particular piece. All third-party libraries must also be compatible. For a specific list of compatible licenses, please read the GPL-Compatible license list on gnu.org. Double check your licensing before you start writing your plugin.
I’ve added emphasis to the pertinent part. But don’t take my word for it, that quick email to the plugins team will sort it out and they’ll let you know.
If what you’ve put in is compatible then nothing needs to change. If that’s not the case then they’ll let you know too and how to resolve it.
I am already communicating via email with the plugin team and I will let you know.
You are most probably right, it all boils down to this: “is the CC-BY 3.0 compatible with the GPL”?
According to GNU.org http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses they are, but only for “other works”, not for software!
Thanks to everyone for pointing out the potential problem! Turns out the CC-BY-3.0 is actually not compatible with the GPL and this was confirmed by the plugin repository administrators.
So, I decided to write it anew on my own! Made a lot of fixes on the way there and now it is a brand new script that only borrows some ideas from the original script. To be honest the original script borrows most of its ideas and code from other projects, too. But that is how it goes…
🙂
Any other thoughts on the licensing thing?
The new version 0.5.0 which will be up in a little while fixes this!
